How to Make the Most of Freshman Orientation
Posted: August 05, 2024 | Author: Fae Dutson | Read Time: 3 minutes
Freshman orientation at Southern Utah University, also known as Thunder U, is the best way to start your college experience. From walking under the bell tower for the first time to dancing the night away at the tie-dye dance, you’ll be sure to make memories that you’ll remember far past your time at SUU. However, there are some things that you should know about orientation before jumping in. Here’s a brief checklist to help you make the most of your experience:
Complete your Online Orientation
After you choose SUU (woohoo!), you will be added to a Canvas course titled “Online Orientation.” It includes a few training modules, videos about SUU and its history, and provides a ton of resources that will be helpful to you during your college experience. Completing the online orientation before Thunder U will answer many of your questions and help you feel prepared for life at SUU.
Register Beforehand
An email will pop up in your inbox asking you to register for Thunder U—do it as soon as you can! It will ask you important questions that help make orientation easier for everyone involved. We need your t-shirt size so that we can give you a free SUU shirt, your lunch preferences so that we can feed you, and your general RSVP so that we can make sure we have enough resources for everyone to come party!
Check-in Before the Event
Right before Thunder U starts (the day before or the morning of), you’ll need to check in on campus to grab a few things. This might include picking up your t-shirt, your ID lanyard that will identify you as an incoming freshman during orientation, and anything else that the university provides to help make orientation as fun and smooth as possible. Having these items is key to making sure you know where to go and what to do.
Download the SUU app
It’s easy, it’s free, and it’s the best tool you’ll have for navigating campus! During Thunder U, we’ll have the full schedule posted and send out frequent push notifications about the itinerary and events. However, one of the most useful features is a digital campus map, with labels on every building and directions. If Thunder U is your first time at SUU, or even if you’ve been here a few times before, you likely won’t have every building memorized. Until you do, keep the app on your phone just in case!
Talk to New People
Orientation is one of the best ways to meet new people on campus. You’ll be put in a group with people in the same or a similar major, so you’ll probably see them again after Thunder U is over. With every event you go to, try to talk to someone new or sit with a new group of people. You never know what can happen when you say hello to a stranger!
Go to as Many Events as You Can
At Thunder U, there are two kinds of events on the itinerary: required events that you must go to, and free-roaming events that are available before and after the required ones. To make the most of freshman orientation, go to as many of the extra activities as you can! They’re free, fun and exist to help you make memories and get a feel of the student life at SUU.
Thunder U might just be one of the most amazing weeks of your life! Follow these to optimize your time and maximize the fun. Again, we are so excited to have you here and look forward to seeing you!
Tags: Campus Student Thunder U Future T-Bird Prospective Students First Year Experience
